New York Times journalists are in the city of Mosul to report on the battle there against the Islamic State. MOSUL, Iraq — Any sense of normalcy on Saturday afternoon was shredded, again, when Iraqi soldiers began opening fire, their rifle barrels aimed at a white object in the bright blue sky.

West Midlands Police issued alerts on social media about the “Taser robberies.” They say they are investigating reports and have sent out extra patrols to catch the culprits. In one shocking incident, a female runner was left with burns after she was attacked by three men in the affluent Kings Heath area of Birmingham.

ASTANA Talks on the Syrian crisis involving Russia, Iran and Turkey that were due to start in the Kazakh capital Astana on Wednesday have been delayed by one day, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry said without giving the reason.

“Those reports are not based on concrete facts,” Dmitry Peskov stressed on Wednesday, noting “there are five different sources in the story and none is named. So you see, really laughable stories are now given a go.